A CHEMICAL suspected of causing cancer is being sprayed in parks throughout the Borders to kill weeds.

Concerned residents in Peebles, with the backing of Tweeddale councillors, are now calling for a ban on the use of the glyphosate-based pesticide.

Despite Scottish Borders Council (SBC) stating the weed killer is legal, locals say the health of children and animals is being put at risk.

Around 50 people brought their fears to the attention of Peebles Community Council after learning that the chemical was being sprayed in Hay Lodge Park.

Community council chairman Les Turnbull acknowledged there is “a lot of anxiety and angst” in the town regarding the use of the controversial weed killer.

At a meeting this month, he told members that he was given an assurance by SBC that the chemical is “licensed and safe”.

But worried residents say it is time for the local authority to embrace a more environmentally friendly approach in maintaining parks and green spaces.

Community councillor Jennifer Mitchell said: “I know it’s licensed but it doesn’t make it right. It does do damage, we know this. Considering other councils have embraced a more environmentally aware system I don’t see why we can’t.

“I know we previously discussed re-wilding certain areas, but it’s not about that, it’s maybe just leaving the dandelions to grow for the bees or finding another method of controlling weeds that don’t involve spraying what are harmful chemicals. I know it’s legal, but so is smoking and drinking, and they are not exactly good for you.”

Following several complaints, SBC officer Neil Pringle said the council is in discussions with other local authorities about a series of trials being undertaken that consider alternative approaches.

However, Mr Pringle said that, as yet, SBC has been unable to identify a financially viable, environmentally sustainable alternative.

In March 2015, the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans”.

Fears were voiced that exposure to glyphosate-based herbicides increases the risk of developing a type of cancer called non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

During this month's community council meeting, Kim Linge, a member of the public, said: “We don’t want to put our children at risk that play in the park.”

She added: “I know that the council has declared a climate emergency and therefore we should be thinking of different methods to manage weeds and actually allow some wildflowers to grow. We need to feed the bees. They are really important to our agriculture and yet they’re declining and pesticide use is thought to be one of the causes for that. Also, the seeds from those wildflowers feed birds and insects.”

The call for banning this pesticide was strongly supported by Tweeddale councillors Shona Haslam, Heather Anderson and Robin Tatler.

Ms Anderson, an SNP representative for Tweeddale West, said: “I’ve been an organic farmer for 20 years and have been opposed to pesticide use all of that time. I would like to see the use of glyphosate banned.”

She told the meeting that the biodiversity and grass-growing plans were heavily discussed at a recent meeting of the council’s audit and scrutiny committee.

“It would be great if we could progress and stop using these highly toxic, potentially cancerogenic chemicals,” added Ms Anderson.

Backing this, independent Tweeddale East councillor Robin Tatler said campaigners would get “no dissent” from any of the elected members present, in their desire to scrap the use of the weed killer.

“I’m 100 per cent trying to get rid of these pesticides,” Mr Tatler said. “I’ve got two dogs and I absolutely hate seeing these areas that are brown and I’m worried about the dogs getting ill from it – it’s just not good at all. If we can control the weeds without it, I’m absolutely 100 per cent behind it.”

However, it is said that the community council and members of the public often get their dander up over the community looking unsightly with weeds and were against the council’s plans for re-wilding some green spaces, particularly within Hay Lodge.

Mrs Haslam, the leader of SBC, said: “We [SBC] kill weeds because the community wants us to.”

The Conservative member said it was time to re-imagine these spaces and she “wholeheartedly” called for the support of Peebles Community Council to embrace a more organic approach.

She said: “Weeds are something that comes up at the community council quite a lot and I know you all complained last year that there were weeds and wanted us to go out and kill them.

“That didn’t happen last year because of COVID, it’s now happening this year. I would challenge the community council to tell us: do you want us to kill weeds, or do you want us to think more creatively about how we manage our environment?

“A couple of years ago we brought to you a plan of letting the lower part of Hay Lodge grow wild with wildflowers and have a mown path through it.

"If that is more acceptable now than it was a couple of years ago, we would love to bring that option back to the community council and re-discuss that.”

She added: “Times change and the environment in which we live changes and the make-up of this community council has changed since then, so let’s have that conversation again.”

The idea of letting green spaces grow wild didn’t appeal to everyone. 

Secretary Anne Snoddy said: “On behalf of the people who like manicured lawns, that’s me, I don’t like weeds and I don’t like to see the brown edges either.”

Mrs Haslam replied: “I totally understand that, and there’s a massive body in Peebles who want that, they want beautiful flowerbeds, manicured lawns, they want straight edges, so we have to find a balance.”